DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will host East-West University on Tuesday night, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. as the Huskies return home following a pair of road game. Tickets for Tuesday's contest against the Phantoms are available now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets and the game will also be available on ESPN+ and WDKB 94-9 FM.
NIU is coming off a narrow, 85-79, setback at Elon on Saturday (Dec. 13).
Makhai Valentine (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) recorded his first career double-double against the Phoenix with a career-high tying 17 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. Valentine has scored in double figures in five consecutive games and has scored 17 in four of the last seven games.
Valentine ranks seventh in the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage (86.2 percent), tied for ninth in steals (1.6 per game) and 14th in rebounding (5.9 pg).
Gustav Winther (Roskilde, Denmark) just missed his second career double-double against Elon with 15 points and nine rebounds. Winther continues to lead the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 67.9 percent from the field.
Daemar Kelly (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) dished out a career-best five assists at Elon. Kelly is ranked ninth in the league in free throw percentage, shooting 84.4 percent, and is averaging 13.0 points per game at home this season.
The Huskies made 11 triples against Elon, marking the fourth time this season NIU has reached the double-figure mark from beyond the arc.
East-West comes into the week with a 2-8 record and will visit Southern Indiana on Monday (Dec. 15) before coming to NIU. The Phantoms have met one NCAA Division I foe prior to this week, falling at SIU Edwardsville, 119-50, on Nov. 4. TJ Harris had a team-high 15 points for East-West against SIUE.
This will be the second all-time meeting between NIU and East-West, the Huskies topped the Phantoms, 117-50, last season (Dec. 30, 2024).
NIU will open conference play on Saturday, Dec. 20, when the Huskies host Central Michigan at 2 p.m. The Huskies will also be home in their first game after the Holiday break as they host Buffalo on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
